First Things First:

Is FieldMonitor not installing / not starting / crashing on
your iDevice? Try restarting
your iDevice. After it restarts, try FieldMonitor again. If that
doesn’t work, delete FieldMonitor and reinstall it. Still not working? Contact
me!

FieldMonitor is a universal app: buy it once, use it on all
your iDevices. If you bought FieldMonitor on one device, but
you can't download it on another one without buying it again, try
signing out of your iTunes account, then sign in again. That should
allow you to download it at no additional cost.

For best results, turn your iDevice’s Airplane Mode on, then turn
on Wi-Fi and connect to your source. Airplane Mode disables
Bluetooth and turns off the phone / mobile data radios. (On iOS 11 and
up, turning Bluetooth off in the Control Panel doesn’t actually turn the
radio off, but using Airplane Mode does.)

FieldMonitor uses Wi-Fi, and is
subject to interference and frequency congestion: FieldMonitor and
your source communicate using the same Wi-Fi frequencies as any other
Wi-Fi devices, as well as cordless phones and microwave ovens. If you
use FieldMonitor in a crowded Wi-Fi environment, it has to compete with
all the other signals in the same frequency band, and you may see more
network timeouts, picture freezes, and/or increased latency. Performance
cannot be guaranteed: it may work perfectly in one location and not at
all in another. Always have a backup plan for monitoring and
control, for times when Wi-Fi isn’t usable.

Move your iDevice around the source: to the left or right, above or
below, in front or in back. Depending on where the antenna is in your
camera and what other metallic shielding is present (camera cages,
gimbal frames, jib arms, etc.), different positions may result in very
different performances.

Usually you will have better results when close to the source than
when you are far away, especially when using the weak radios built
into cameras. Try to stay within 15 feet or 5 meters of the source.

When performance is poor, you can sometimes improve it by shutting
down Wi-Fi on your source and restarting it. Most cameras (and
Teradeks in default configurations) automatically choose a Wi-Fi
channel to use, and sometimes they pick one that’s more crowded or
congested than other available channels. Restarting gives the source a
chance to choose a different, better channel.

If your source allows manual channel selection, try switching Wi-Fi
channels. Switch from 2.4 GHz to 5 GHz Wi-Fi (or vice versa) if your
source allows it. You can use a Wi-Fi scanner app on Windows, Mac, or
Android to find a less congested channel, or you can just pick a
different channel and see what happens. Note: most cameras and iPhone
4S can’t use 5 GHz Wi-Fi.

Resetting the network settings on your source may help, either to
make things work better or to make them work at all.
I had an LX100 that started showing “network timeout” messages within
a few seconds when connected via network, and resetting the network
settings restored error-free operation. On Panasonics, use “Reset
Wi-Fi Settings” in the settings menu; for Sonys try “Reset Network
Set.” in the networking menu. Note: this will erase any stored network
passwords, and you will have to re-enter them.

Resetting the network settings on your iDevice may help, either to
make things work better or to make them work at all.
Use Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network
Settings. Note: this will erase all stored network passwords and
forget all previously-used networks, so only try this as a last
resort.

“network timeout” usually occurs when communications fail due to low
signal strength, network congestion, or interference — or the source
gets turned off. Sometimes the timeout clears up by itself; other
times you may need to switch Wi-Fi networks, move away from microwave
ovens and cordless phones, or make sure other network users aren't
hogging bandwidth. Try turning off Max Resolution for your camera (in
FieldMonitor’s settings) to reduce bandwidth requirements. Also try
returning to the Source screen, tapping Refresh, and
reconnecting to the source; network timeouts can get the source out of
sync with FieldMonitor, and reconnecting restores sync. If nothing
else works, try resetting network settings as described above.

For best results with a Panasonic or Teradek, use a separate,
high-performance Wi-Fi Access Point, ideally an enterprise-grade unit.
Panasonic calls this connecting “via network”; Teradek calls it
“client” or “infrastructure” mode. In a congested radio environment,
you may not be able to work successfully unless you use a
high-performance access point with beam-forming or beam
steering and good interference rejection.

I've had great results using Panasonic GH5s with a Ruckus
Unleashed
R310 on 5GHz channels, but not on 2.4GHz channels:
Panasonics and Ruckus don't play well together at all on
2.4GHz.

(You can’t use a separate access point with a Sony, as you can only
connect directly to the camera. Sony
support says that in “ideal environmental conditions, the
recommended maximum distance a camera can be connected to a smartphone
is less than 5 meters or 16 feet. It is not possible to increase this
distance and also not possible to use any Wi-Fi repeater.”)

Sometimes, changing the iDevice you use can help. Some users report
that switching from an iPhone to an iPod touch gave better results;
others switched from one iPhone to another.

If you're using a Panasonic with an electronically-coupled lens in
manual focus mode: Turning the focus ring (a) while image
magnification is on or (b) while the camera’s MF Assist is set to
magnify the image when the focus ring is turned causes the camera to
become “busy”, and it can't be controlled from FieldMonitor until a
button on the camera itself is pressed.

You can easily run into this problem when using the camera on a crane
or gimbal with a separate focus motor and FIZ controller, where it's
easy to get the camera stuck in “busy” mode but you can’t (or shouldn’t)
touch the camera’s buttons to unstick it:

To prevent this, turn FieldMonitor’s “Panasonic Image Mag” setting
off, and change the camera’s “MF Assist” setting to off or AF Mode only,
so that it is not triggered by turning the focus ring.

Compatibility:

You
need a compatible Panasonic Lumix camera, Sony camera, or a Teradek
H.264 transmitter (Cube 100, 200, 500, or 600 series, Clip, or VidiU)
to use this app. Without
a supported Panasonic, Sony, or Teradek, this app doesn't do anything
useful!

Any DC- or DMC-series Panasonic camera usable with Panasonic’s Image
App should work. Make sure your camera supports live view
while recording when using Image App before trying FieldMonitor.

Most Sony Alpha, HX-, WX-, or RX-series cameras usable with Sony’s PlayMemories
Mobile should work. Make sure your camera supports live view
while recording when using PlayMemories Mobile before trying
FieldMonitor.

FieldMonitor displays the H.264 feed from a Teradek Cube, Clip, or
VidiU. Uncompressed video from a Bolt is not supported. H.265 / HEVC
compression (Cube 700 and 800 series) is not supported. Serv and Serv
Pro are not supported.

Known Compatible Panasonic Cameras:

The following cameras have been tested with FieldMonitor. FieldMonitor
displays their images and controls them properly:

Other DC- and DMC-series cameras that work with Panasonic’s Image
App should work with FieldMonitor. Make sure your camera
supports live view while recording when using Image App before trying
FieldMonitor.

As I learn of other cameras that do (or do not) work with FieldMonitor,
I will update this list. If you test a camera not on the list,
please let me know if it works or not.

Panasonic
GH3 and earlier cameras do not support remote control or
monitoring while recording video.

Cine
cameras like the DVX200, EVA-1, and VariCam are not supported.

Camcorders
like the HC-WXF991 are reported to show a picture, but controls do not
work.

With a GH5 (and possibly other cameras, like the G9 and GH5S),
disconnecting FieldMonitor causes the HDMI output to go black for five
seconds, ten seconds after disconnection (when the camera would
normally display “Not connected to the app” on its LCD). I also have
one report that connecting Image App to or disconnecting from a DMC-G7
while it's recording externally “disables / interferes with
recording”. I haven’t been able to replicate this with a GH4 or LX100.
Nonetheless, avoid disconnecting / reconnecting while
external recording is in progress, whatever camera you use.

Most Panasonics display peaking over Wi-Fi only while not
recording. Use FieldMonitor’s Focus Assist feature instead.

Peaking, focus magnification, PinP / FULL, and AF buttons are only
available in manual-focus modes.

Audio monitoring and metering are not possible. Cameras do not
transmit audio or audio-level information over Wi-Fi.

Some Panasonics (including the LX100 and G7, but not the GH4 or GH5)
blank their EVF or LCD 30 seconds after recording starts when a Wi-Fi
remote is used. There does not seem to be a way to prevent this.

Known Compatible Sony Cameras:

FieldMonitor implements the Sony Camera Remote API 2.40 and has been
tested with the A6300, A6500, A7ii, A7iii, A7Rii, A7Riii, A7S,
A7Sii, A9, and A99ii. It should work with any hybrid camera
supporting liveview and movie recording capability using Sony’s
PlayMemories Mobile app. For the Alpha, HX, WX, and RX series, these
cameras should work:

Many of these are “Smart Remote”
cameras (A5100, A6300, A6500, A7Rii, A7S, A7Sii, etc.) and need to
have the free “Smart Remote Control” installed from the PlayMemories
Camera Apps Store to be fully controllable. With only “Smart
Remote Embedded’ installed, you can only adjust exposure compensation.

“Smart
Remote” cameras (A5100, A6300, A6500, A7ii, A7Rii, A7S, A7Sii,
etc.) do not allow the use of Picture Profiles in Wi-Fi remote
mode. You cannot shoot in S-Log2 or S-Log3 while using Wi-Fi on these
cameras. S&Q (high frame rate) shooting is not possible while
using Wi-Fi on these cameras. Focus points cannot be repositioned in
movie mode.

“Ctrl
w/ Smartphone” Sonys (A7iii, A7Riii, A9, A99ii, etc.) do not
transmit focus area, battery level, or storage space info over Wi-Fi.
FieldMonitor will not show the focus area, battery level, or storage
information for these cameras. You
cannot reposition their focus points over Wi-Fi. The AF
button may or may not work depending on the camera’s settings; the
camera does not send enough status information over Wi-Fi for
FieldMonitor to know when the button can be used.

Sony
A7, A99, A6000, A5000, NEX series, and earlier cameras do not
support remote control or monitoring while recording video.

Cine
cameras like the FS5, FS7, and F55 are not supported.
Camcorders are not supported.

FieldMonitor does not have a control to switch shooting modes. If
your Sony does not have a mode dial to choose between still and movie
modes, you can't change those modes using FieldMonitor.

Camera peaking and focus magnification are not available over Wi-Fi,
and FieldMonitor will not display those controls when controlling a
Sony.

Audio monitoring and metering are not possible. Cameras do not
transmit audio or audio-level information over Wi-Fi.

If your source restarts or its network has changed, FieldMonitor
may get confused. Try tapping Refresh, closing
and re-opening FieldMonitor, or
turning Wi-Fi off and then on again.

Sometimes it takes a while for a Teradek to appear in the
list. Try waiting a bit after starting the app. If your Teradek
has just been turned on or reconfigured, it may take a minute
for it to fully start up and appear in the Source list.

Cube: if UDP Multicast is enabled, enable Quickview on the
Cube and turn Quickview ON in the app, or the app will never
connect.

Cube: RTSP stream is password-protected. FieldMonitor
can’t receive a password-protected RTSP stream. Either turn off
RTSP authentication, or enable Quickview on the Cube and turn
Quickview ON in the app.

Cube or Clip: TDS streams don’t play: make sure your Cube or
Clip firmware is up to date (some older firmware versions no
longer detect when updates are available; check the Teradek
website directly). TDS streams are tricky; it sometimes
takes many attempts before they’ll play, and sometimes you need
to reboot the Teradek before it’ll connect. If you can use
RTP/RTSP or Quickview, those tend to connect more reliably.

If all else fails with a Teradek, try factory-resetting it.

There
are no camera controls / controls are missing / controls don't
work!

If Camera Controls are set to be hidden on a screen tap, try
tapping the screen to make them reappear.

If your camera is in full AUTO mode, you won't be able to
control exposure or white balance. Change the camera’s mode to
P, A, S, or M instead.

Some Panasonics won’t show all their controls, and some
controls won’t work, if Wi-Fi is turned on while the camera is
connected to an HDMI monitor. Connect to Wi-Fi first, then plug
in your HDMI monitor.

If you are connected to a Teradek source, there aren't any
camera controls.

Using a Sony with FieldMonitor version 4.4 or earlier? Please
update FieldMonitor to the latest version.

Sonys only let me adjust
exposure compensation!

Smart Remote Sonys
ship with a very limited "Smart Remote Embedded" remote control
capability. You'll need to install the “Smart Remote Control”
app on the camerafrom
the PlayMemories store before you get access to all the
controls you're expecting.

Movie mode defaults to P (programmed exposure) mode. You can
change it to another exposure mode that offers more controls:

Smart Remote
Sonys: when you set the mode dial to Movie, wait
a few seconds. The "Movie mode" screen appears on the
camera. Press •OK, not the shutter button.
You’ll get a screen where you can choose the exposure mode.

This happens with Teradek feeds if you slide Control Center or
Notification Center over the app, or use Slide Over or Split
Screen on iPad, or turn your iDevice off and on again while FieldMonitor
is running.

Wi-Fi connection to the source is lost or weak. Go back to the
Source screen and re-select your source to restart the video.

If the screen says ”camera in play mode”, switch the camera
back to live mode.

Picture
freezes every few seconds: radio interference can cause
periodic freezing of the video stream. Some Sony cameras freeze
every few seconds if your iDevice's Bluetooth radio is enabled.

Turn your iDevice’s Airplane Mode on, then turn Wi-Fi on. This
disables both Bluetooth and cellular radios, and is recommended
at all times for best performance.

Picture
updates slowly, or the image is delayed by more than a fraction
of a second: Try selecting a lower Refresh Rate or turn
’scopes OFF, to free up more time for image decoding and display.
If that doesn’t work, try reconnecting to the source; exiting and
re-opening the app; restarting your source; moving your iDevice
closer to the source; reconfiguring the Wi-Fi network to minimize
congestion (try switching between 2.4 and 5 GHz bands; however
most cameras and iPhone 4S can’t use 5GHz Wi-Fi) or to increase
range (usually better with 2.4 GHz channels).

If you're using a camera, try turning Max Resolution
off. Higher resolution streams have more latency and lower frame
rates.

Sony Wi-Fi normally updates slowly for the first few seconds
while the camera transmits initial status information. Once that
transmission is completed, the update rate improves.

If you’re using a Cube, try using Quickview instead of TDS or
RTSP streams, or try reducing the resolution of your feed from
1080 lines to 720 or 480 lines.

’Scopes update
slowly: Try selecting a higher Refresh Rate (but note
that faster refreshing uses more power and may cause the picture
to break up or displayed frame rate to suffer, depending on your
iDevice).

Older, slower iDevices may not be able to handle a high
workload: when the ’scopes take too much time, picture quality
suffers and image decoding can fail or fall behind realtime
updates. Turn Quickview ON (for Cubes) and Max Resolution OFF
(for cameras), set Refresh Rate to its minimum value (about 2
fps), and show only a single ’scope, or none, instead of all
three. If you’re then able to receive a clean picture, try
gradually increasing Refresh Rate. With Quickview ON / Max
Resolution OFF, a slow refresh rate, and a single ’scope or none
at all, FieldMonitor can be used
successfully on an iPod touch 5G, iPhone 4S, or iPad 3. Newer,
more powerful iDevices will work better, show more ’scopes
without problems, and update their displays faster.

There's no false-color settings button
: You
need an iDevice with an A7 or later processor to show false color:
iPhone 5S or later, iPod touch 6G or later, iPad Air or later,
iPad mini 2 or later, or iPad Pro. On earlier devices, consider
using a false-color LUT
instead.

Picture
levels and ’scopes change when I start recording: If
you're monitoring a Panasonic Wi-Fi camera, make sure the Level
settings match those on the camera. (If the camera’s setup
is such that exposure changes when the camera goes into
record mode, levels and ’scopes will change, of course!)

If you're looking at a Teradek feed from a hybrid camera (one that
shoots both stills and video), level changes reflect what the
camera is actually putting out over HDMI or SDI. Often the signal
is full-range (0–255 in 8-bit terms, or -7% to 109% on the WFM)
when in standby, and legal (16–235, or 0% to 100%) or extended
(16–255, 0% to 109%) while recording. Check your camera’s
operating instructions for more details.

Picture
levels and ’scopes don’t change when I change my camera’s
exposure settings: your camera needs to be set to show
the effect of exposure controls on the preview image. For most
cameras the setting is found here:

There’s no audio!
Camera sources don't transmit audio or any audio-level
indications. Teradek sources supply audio: make sure the Teradek
is set to transmit audio, that it is receiving an audio signal,
that your iDevice isn't muted, and that your iDevice’s volume
isn't all the way down.

Camera’s
EVF and LCD go dark when Wi-Fi is used!

Many cameras turn off the EVF and LCD when HDMI or A/V Out is
connected and active. Disconnect external monitors, or monitor
using the attached device.

GH4: The DMW-YAGH Interface Unit acts as a connected HDMI
device and turns off the EVF / LCD when Wi-Fi is used. Remove
the DMW-YAGH Unit, or monitor using its SDI output instead.

GH5: Wi-Fi is set to “Smartphone priority”. Go into the
camera’s menus: Settings > Wi-Fi > Wi-Fi Setup >
Priority of Recording Device, and select "Camera" if you want
the camera‘s EVF/LCD and controls to stay active.

I can’t use
Panasonic Wi-Fi with 10-bit recording or output! The
GH4 does not allow 10-bit output and Wi-Fi connection at the same
time (the GH5 does allow 10-bit recording or output with
Wi-Fi running). Other cameras may differ. If 10-bit is disabled in
the camera’s menus when Wi-Fi is on (or vice versa), then it can't
be done. Sorry!

I see
“camera busy” and “network timeout” messages:

“camera busy” means the camera is being operated directly, or
a menu is open. Make sure the camera is in normal operating mode
(try half-pressing the shutter release).

Panasonics can get stuck in “camera busy” mode with image
magnification turned on when an electronically-coupled lens’s
focus ring is turned in manual focus mode. The only way
to free up the camera is to press a button on the camera itself.

To prevent this, turn Panasonic Image Mag off in
FieldMonitor, and set the camera’s MF Assist to
"off" or "AF Mode" only, so that it is not triggered by
turning the focus ring.

“network timeout” occurs when communications fail due to low
signal strength, network congestion, or interference — or the
camera or Teradek gets turned off. Sometimes the timeout clears
up by itself; other times you may need to switch Wi-Fi networks,
move away from microwave ovens and cordless phones, or make sure
other network users aren't hogging bandwidth: troubleshoot
Wi-Fi issues. Also try returning to the Source screen,
tapping Refresh, and reconnecting to the
source; network timeouts can get the source out of sync with
FieldMonitor, and reconnecting restores sync.

Generally speaking, two cameras can be actively transmitting
640x360 streams on the same Wi-Fi network at the same time, but
three will cause timeouts to occur on some or all of the
streams.

Something
else is wrong / broken / puzzling!Contact
me so I can fix the problem and/or answer your questions!
(If your email isn’t answered within a day or two, it may have
fallen into a spam-trap; try contacting @adamwilt on Twitter
instead.)

Need more help?

Controls shows
you FieldMonitor's buttons, gestures, and settings, and explains
how they work.